The History of Chiruthonda Nayanar

Burnt the lust, which could burn all the discipline, with the beautiful eye between the brows - that Lord's graceful abode is thiruchcheN^kAttaN^kudi . In that town came the man of unimaginable great deeds paranychOdhiyAr . He learnt AyurvEdam, saMskR^itam and the usage of arms in a flawless way. With a matured knowledge he came to the conclusion that crown all the arts is crawling snake ornated God's feet and nurtured steadily the growing love for that comforting feet. Serving the devotees of the Deedless, he undertook the position of the head of the king's army. He won the battle of vAdhApi exhibiting his splendid valiance, brilliance and knowledge. When the king was wondering about his magnificent performance the ministers told him as paranychOdhiyAr was the servant of the Three-eyed Lord there was nobody to defeat him. Hearing that he was a devotee the judicious king was afraid that he had sent a devotee to the killing battlefield. He gave him a lots of gifts and properties and requested him to serve the Lord dedicating his time for that. paranychOdhiyAr returned to his town and spent the all time in serving the sha.nkara at the gaNapathIchcharam temple of the town. He got married to the girl veNkAttu n^aN^gai who stood for the principles of the devotee.

For the devotees of the God ornated by feather, flowers and flowing river, the devotee of thriuchcheN^kAttaN^kudi everyday used to host feast and then only eat. This he followed as a ritual without failure and his hospitality was known in all the directions. He being so humble in the presence of the limitlessly famed devotees he was known as chiRuth thoNdar (small servant). While his service was continuing blissfully praying the unmeasurable feet of the Lord the couple got a child. They named him chIrALa dhEvar . To celebrate the birth of the child who arrived like the fruit of the austerities the devotee made it a grand festival for the entire town. He donated liberally to the devotees and made all the rituals with the sound of vEdas reverberating the sky. The kid was brought up with utmost care of the parents. When he was three years old they sent him to the school to learn the worth learning arts. That time the Sun that rose to drive away the illusions and enlighten the world in shaivam - the prodigy thirunyAnachampan^dhar (1) came there. Holding his soft feet on his head and heart the devotee saluted him. The saint stayed in his place for some days and he praised the honest and whole-hearted service of chiRuththoNdar in the hymn he sang there.

The Lord who is independent of external enjoyment wanted to demonstrate that the great are capable of doing deeds which are terrific even to think of for others. In place of lightning like matted hair He took dark cloud like matted hair, in place of the young growing crescent - a crescent shaped stripes of Holy ash, in place of snake ear-ring - a floral ring, in place of the ornament of skulls - a shining string of white stones, in place of the fierce elephant skin cladding - cladded in clothe, obscuring the black throat, with unlimited grace in the eyes, smile in the lips, beauty throughout the body, holding up the spear, the kazal worn in the legs inviting everybody to salute that form of Mercy, the Supreme came in the form of a bhairAgi. The God who feeds the entire world, acting as if He was terribly hungry came to the devotees house enquiring where it is. Only his wife was there in the house. The Lord in the form of bhairAgi asked was there the servant of Lord in the house who everyday gives food for the devotees. Realizing a sage had come the chaste thiruveNkAttun^aN^gaiyAr came out and said saluting him that her husband had gone out and invited Him to come inside the house. The bhairAgi replied He would not come inside the house where a woman is alone. Immediately the humble lady went to the other extreme of the house and told Him that as her husband did not find any devotee that day to host he had gone searching for one and would be really happy if he knew that a devotee had come on his own. She asked Him to sit inside the house. The Lord appreciated her that they followed in the right way the discipline of family life, but still He would not enter the house without the devotee present and would be waiting for him under a tree near the temple.

To the sincere servant who came back sad unable to find any devotee, his matched wife told that a devotee from the north in the form of bhairAgi came there and was waiting near the temple tree for him. With growing eagerness he went to the bhairAgi and saluted to be asked by Him "Are you the great small servant ?". The great even though they consider themselves small would be acknowledged as great only by the Truth ! The humble servant replied that he was not praisable in the group of devotees but out of mercy the devotees call him so. He told it was the effect of all the good deeds he would have done, for Him to come to his house. The sage who claimed to come from the north said the food He wanted was very difficult to prepare. He wanted a life to be cooked that too a human in the age not exceeding five, having no physical impairments, should be the only child for the family and the child s parents should cook it happily ! The devotee with uncomparable dedication said there is nothing in the world that is impossible to achieve for the devotees. Saluting Him he came back home.

The devotee told his wife the type of food the sage asked for. They decided to cook their loving young son for the devotee to have food. Father went and brought the child from the school. He bathed him, cleaned his body completely. With the mother holding the child s hands and legs, the child enjoying their great deed, father cut his head and did the unimaginable deed. The couple of synchronized thoughts were not sad but were happy about serving the devotee. Removing the head considering it would not be good for feast the loving mother cooked th' rest with other food materials. Then the superior servant invited the sage to accept the feast, begging pardon for any delay he would have made in preparing the feast. Washing the Feet that kicked the death to death, they sprinkled that holy water on themselves and throughout the house. His principled wife served the rice, meat and all the food materials in a plate over a white cloth. The sage asked them whether they cooked all the parts of the child. They replied in affirmative but said that as the head would not be good for the feast they did not cook it. The playful Lord said He liked that too. The worry of that wonderable couple vanished when a helper chan^dhanaththAr came forward and said that she cooked the head too thinking that it would be useful when the devotee eats, and gave that part too.

Now the Lord ordered him to bring a devotee to eat with Him. chiRuth thoNdar perumAn searched but came back unable to find one. To the worrying devotee He said he himself was a good devotee and asked him to eat. When chiRuth thoNdar was about to eat from the food that his wife served similarly for him in order to make the sage accept the feast, the bhairAgi stopped him asking what was his hurry while He Himself who eat once in six months had not started. He asked him to call his son. Shocked the devotee replied his son would not be helpful then. But the sage refused to eat without his son being present. Highly anxious the patient devotee went outside and called out his son loudly. His caring wife also shouted calling the child s name, "Oh! my dear child, chIrALA ! come fast to make the devotee have his feast !!". Who knows the grace of God !! Their son came running as if he was returning from the school. The couple embraced him and kissed him thinking they could now be blessed by the devotee accepting their feast ! When they came inside the house they were shocked at the absence of the bhairAgi as well as the meat that was cooked. Removing all their worries, removing their bonds, removing their source of birth, the Remover of pains the Lord who disappeared appeared as the form of grace with the Daughter of Himalayas and the young beautiful son murugan on the Holy Bull. Blessing the devotee, his beloved wife and loving son the Lord, His inseparable shakti and the Son who destroyed the sUra took them giving place in their feet that is ultimate the price for great deeds. Let the marveylous dedication of chiRuththoNdar stay in the mind.